Card selection apparatus



Dec. 20, 1966 J. E. PAULUS CARD SELECTION APPARATUS Filed Sept 6, 1962 United States Patent 3,292,630 CARD SELECTION APPARATUS James E. Paulus, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor to The Mosler Safe Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 221,844 7 Claims. (Cl. 12916.1)

This invention relates generally to card sorting or selecting apparatus and particularly to an improved air nozzle used in a system in which a predetermined card in a pack of cards is located and identified by moving it relative to the remainder of the pack by means of an air stream passed through the nozzle and across the surface of the cards.

Card selecting or sorting systems generally are well known and have been commercially available for sometime. One such commercially available card selecting arrangement employs cards made with a series of holes along one edge. Individual cards are classified by punching out the material adjacent certain holes to form notches according to a desired code. One or more rods or needles are passed through the holes or notches in the entire pack thereby holding those cards having holes but permitting the cards having notches to move relative to the rods. Separation is made by lifting the needles or by dropping the bottom of the container.

Another arrangement which had been commercially available employs coded notches along the bottom edges of the cards. 'A series of bars is positioned beneath the pack, selected ones of which are mechanically raised thereby raising those cards which do not have notches in corresponding positions.

Another system which is a decided improvement over the selecting mechanisms previously described is disclosed in the patent application of Warren D. Novak, Ser. No. 158,811, filed Dec. 12, 1961 assigned to the assignee of this application. In this system an air blast is relied upon to physically separate a preselected card from a stack of cards. The cards are stored on edge in a stack heldin a suitable container with the top edge of each card being uniquely notched according to a code whereby the notching identifies each individual card in the pack. A plurality of bars is positioned near the top of the pack for cooperation with the notches in the cards. One or more of the bars may be selected and moved to'a position just above the pack thereby holding down all of the cards except the one having notches residing beneath the selected bars. A stream of air from a nozzle is then passed upwardly against the bottom of the stack of cards in the container. The nozzle is preferably moved transversely relative to the cards so as to insure uniform exposure of all cards to the air stream thereby causing the selected card to rise until the notches engage the selected bars. Thus, as the nozzle is moved across the width of the pack of cards, the selected card-is raised above the others and is heldin the-raised position by friction between adjacent cards. With the selected card held in the raised position, all of the barsmay then be withdrawn so that the selected card may be'removed manually or automatically. The use of an airstream to physically separate the selected card from the pack of cards is advantageous since it results in a considerable reduction in wear of the cards which normally results from frictional contact betweenthe bars and cards and between the cards themselves during movement of the selected card relative to the pack. Such wear is particularly objectionable where transparencies are mounted on the cards.

It has been an objective of this invention to provide an improved card selection apparatus in which the wear of the cards is minimized and the selected cards are posi- "ice tively separated without any cards inadvertently sticking together.

Another objective has been to provide an air nozzle for use in apparatus of the type described in which card selection is achieved rapidly without subjecting the cards to substantial fluttering during their exposure to the air stream.

Another objective of this invention has been to provide a card selection apparatus in which the selected cards are positively separated from a stack of cards.

In a card selection apparatus in which an air blast is relied upon to move or separate the selected card from the stack, the air blast nozzle ismoved laterally across to the bottom of the stack so that the stream of air is passed upwardly against the bottom of the cards. As the stream of air passes beneath the file cards, the pressure of the air on the bottom edge of the cards together with the relative drag of the air upon the surface of the cards as it penetrates the pack and moves between the cards, causes the preselected coded card which is unrestrained to pop up out of the pack so that it is physically differentiated from the remaining cards. The selected card is held in this outward position or physically diifere ntiated position by frictional contact of the adjacent cards against the surface of the selected cards.

This invention is an improvement upon previously known card selecting apparatus which utilizes an air stream passing over the surface of the cards to move the cards into a physically differentiated position. In these previously known systems the air stream has a tendency to cause the cards to flutter while they are held suspended in the air blast. This flutter or vibrational movement produces objectionable noise and is undesirable because of the wear which it causes upon the surface of the cards and the mechanical attrition to which it needlessly subjects the cards. 7

Apparently the flutter results when the air pressure across one flat surface of the card is approximately equal to the air pressure across the opposite face of the card so that any infinitesimal unbalance between these pressures causes the card to move toward one side, then the other, in a direction normal to the direction of flow of the air current.

V This invention is predicated upon the discovery that a substantial reduction in this flutter is derived if the unidirectional flow of the air stream is interrupted by placing thin obstructions across the nozzle outlet. Apparently, these thin plates cause turbulences in the air streamwhich produces a positive pressure in the static areas immediately above the obstruction. As the card attempts to flutter it must pump the air out of these areas, and the work that the card itself must do dissipates its kinetic energy, thus reducing the flutter.

While the theory or explanation of the result achieved by the turbulent air is difficult to prove conclusively, it has been clearly demonstrated that when a long thin nozzle is utilized to direct the air current against the bottom of the cards, the flutter is substantially reduced by placing barriers or obstructions across the outlet orifice of the nozzle.

This invention can best be further described with reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partially schematic, perspective view.

of the card selecting apparatus of this invention in which one side of the card supporting container is illustrated in phantom for purposes of clarity of the drawings,

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 22.of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a crosssectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3 ,292,639 Patented Dec. 20, 1966.

- 3 4-4 of FIGURE 3 with the relatively static air pocket areas delineating by phantom lines.

In the card selecting apparatus illustrated in the drawings, a plurality of coded cards are held in stacked relation between a pair of spacer blocks or container end walls 12 and 13 and a pair of side walls 7 and 8, the side walls having bars 9 extending from their bottom edge in a position to support the lateral edges of the deck of cards. The spacers 12,13 may be in the form of spacers in a container 5 or a file drawer or any device which would be capable of holding the cards in stacked relation.

The cards are each coded along their upper edge so as to be selectible from the stack according to a coding schedule. In the preferred embodiment the coding consists of a plurality of vertical notches 14 which extend inwardly from the upper edge of the cards. The notches are so located in the horizontal plane of the upper edge as to be engageable with any one of a plurality of selection bars 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. The selection "oars are located over the top of the stack of cards in a position to be selectively movable into a horizontal plane immediately above the top surface of the cards. For purposes of illustration, five bars have been shown, although of course, any number of selection bars could be used in a card selection apparatus of'this type.

Assuming that it is desired to select a card which. has coding notches 14 located in positions which correspond to the selection bars 16 and 18, the bars 16 and 18 are moved into a position immediately above the stack of cards from a withdrawn position either above the plane of the cards or from a position behind the stack of cards. An air blast is then passed beneath the cards which forces the cards upwardly against the bottom edges of the bars 16 and 18. Any card which has notches in a position immediately below the bars 16 and 18 will be moved upwardly 'by the air blast to a position in which the notches surround the bar 16, 18. If only one card 11 is coded so as to have notches in the vertical plane of the selection bars 16, 18 only that card will be moved upwardly above the plane of the remaining cards in the stack. Of course any other combination of preselection bars could be moved into .a position immediately above the stack to select cards having notches corresponding to other combinations of selection bars. The selected card, is held in a physically separated or raised position above the plane of the remaining cards by the friction of the selected card resting against the surface of the adjacent cards on each side or by the friction of a selected card resting against the surface'of a spacing' member 13 and an adjacent card 10. After all of the cards have been exposed to the air blast so that any card having coded notches corresponding to the selected bars above the stack of cards are positionally differentiated from the remaining cards in the stack, the selection bars are then withdrawn or removed so that the cards 'may be withdrawn manually or automatically.

The apparatus utilized to physically separate the cards according to the selected code as determined by the selection bars located above the stack of cards consists of an air blast system having a nozzle 20 which is passed below the stack of cards in the direction indicated by the arrow 21 of FIGURE 3. Of course the stack of cards may he moved relative to the nozzle rather than moving the nozzle relative to the stack of cards. The

nozzle may be circular in cross section at the 'bottom the outlet orifice is located preferably in a vertical plane 7 approximately parallel to the vertical planes of the cards so that as the nozzle is moved laterally with respect to the stack of cards, as in the direction of the arrow 21,

the air stream from the nozzle'is directed sequentially In the simplest arrangement for preventing flutter,

bridges 25 are provided across the outlet orifice of the. These bridges may be integral with the nozzle nozzle.

' or may be made from thin strips of material such as tape extending across the outlet orifice. In the illustrated embodiment, the bridges are in the form of integral thin sheet metal tabs of substantial width which are bent over and extend across the outlet orifice adjacent the outlet of the orifice. By interrupting the unidirectional flow of the air, the bridges 25 create areas of relatively static air under positive pressure above each of the.

bridges, as indicated in phantom at 26 in FIGURE 2. These areas of turbulence substantially reduce the flutter of the cards suspended or held in the air current'issuing from the orifice 24.

Apparently this reduction of flutter or vibration of the cards is explained by the fact that because of the relative thinness T (FIGURE 3) of the bridges 25 and' their location immediately adjacent the outlet orifice of the nozzle, the bridges interrupt the unidirectional flow of the air issuing .from the nozzle so as to create pockets of relatively static air above the bridges. As the card held in the air stream attempts to flutter, it must pump this static air out ofthese area and in so doing its kinetic energy is dissipated. In other words, the pockets 26 of relatively static air on opposite sides of a card suspended in the air stream issuing from the nozzle 20 act as pneumatic dampeners to slow the rate of vibration or flutter of the cards suspended in the stream. As the card moves in the opposite direction after having pumped the air out of these static air areas on one side of the card, air under positive pressure is again supplied to these areas because of the turbulence created by the flat thin bridges. Thus the bridges create a turbulence which supplies relatively staticair under positive pres- This turbulence sure to the areas above the bridges. results in positive pressure in the air pockets rather than a low or negative pressure which would result from a smooth flow pattern around the bridges.

While the preferred embodiment of the present inventionlhas been shown'and described herein, it is obvious that the structural details may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which said preselected card is physically differentiated from the remainder of thecards in the pack, which method comprises,

. engaging all cards of the pack except the preselected so as to restrain all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

exerting a pressure stream of gaseous fluid upwardly against the bottom edges of said cards by progressively advancing the stream of gaseous fluid across the bottom of the cards whereby the gaseous fluid penetrates the pack and causes said preselected card to more relative to the pack while the other cards are restrained in their relative positions,

and creating localized relatively static pockets of airpressure in said pressure stream on opposite sides of a card suspended in said pressure stream whereby said pockets are operative to reduce flutter of the cards during exposure to the air stream.

2. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically diflerentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

means including a nozzle for directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack while the other cards of said pack are retained in their relative positions and,

relatively static air pocket creating means bridging the outlet of said nozzle operable to interrupt the laminar flow of gaseous fluid from said nozzle and retard the rate of flutter of a card suspended in the gaseous stream.

3. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically diflerentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack, means including a nozzle the outlet end of which is several times longer than it is wide for directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack while the other cards ofdsaid pack are retained in their relative positions an bridge means extending across the width of said nozzle at the outlet end for introducing relatively static air pockets in said fluid stream whereby flutter of the cards suspended in said fluid stream is substantially reduced.

4. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically differentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

means for directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack While the other cards of said pack are retained in their relative positions,

said fluid stream directing means including a nozzle having an outlet orifice at least several times longer than it is wide, the length of said orifice being located in a plane generally parallel to a plane passing through the edges of one of said cards and,

bridge means extending across the orifice in a direction normal to said length :for creating relatively static air pockets in said fluid stream as it emerges from said nozzle.

5. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically differentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

means for directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack while the other cards of said pack are restrained in their relative positions,

said fluid stream directing means including a nozzle having an outlet orifice several times longer than it is wide, the length of said orifice being located in a plane generally parallel to a plane passing through all of the edges of one of said cards and,

a plurality of relatively thin bridge means extending across the orifice in a direction normal to said length for creating relatively static positive pressure air pockets in said fluid stream whereby vibrational movement of the cards suspended in said fluid stream is substantially reduced in a direction normal to the direction of flow of said stream.

6. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically diflerentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

means including a nozzle for sequentially directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack while the other cards of said pack are retained in their relative positions and,

bridge means extending across said flow path of said fluid stream between said nozzle and said cards for introducing turbulence into said fluid stream whereby vibrational movement of the cards suspended in said fluid stream is substantially reduced in a direction normal to the direction of flow of said stream.

7. Apparatus for ejecting a preselected card from a pack of cards to a position in which the preselected card is physically difierentiated from the remainder of the cards in the pack, comprising,

means for restraining all of said cards except said preselected card against movement relative to the remainder of the pack,

means including a nozzle for sequentially directing a stream of gaseous fluid against the edges of the cards in the pack whereby said gaseous fluid penetrates said pack and causes the preselected card to move relative to said pack while the other cards of said pack are retained in their relative positions, and

relatively thin bridge means extending across said flow path of said fluid streams between said nozzle and said cards for creating relatively static positive air pressure pockets in said fluid stream whereby vibrational movement of the cards suspended in said fluid stream is substantially reduced in a direction normal to the direction of flow of said stream.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,292,630 December 20, 1966 James E. Paulus that error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified that the said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and corrected below.

Column 4, line 73, for "more" read move Signed and sealed this 26th day of September 1967 L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

2. APPAATUS FOR EJECTING A PRESELECTED CARD FROM A PACK OF CARDS TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE PRESELECTED CARD IS PHYSICALLY DIFFERENTIATED FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE CARDS IN THE PACK, COMPRISING, MEANS FOR RESTRAINING ALL OF SAID CARDS EXCEPT SAID PRESELECTED CARD AGAINST MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE REMAINDER OF THE PACK, MEANS INCLUDING A NOZZLE FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF GASEOUS FLUID AGAINST THE EDGES OF THE CARDS IN THE PACK WHEREBY SAID GASEOUS FLUID PENETRATES SAID PACK AND CAUSES THE PRESELECTED CARD TO MOVE RELATIVE TO SAID PACK WHILE THE OTHER CARDS OF SAID PACK ARE RETAINED IN THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS AND, RELATIVELY STATIC AIR POCKET CREATING MEANS BRIDGING THE OUTLET OF SAID NOZZLE OPERABLE TO INTERRUPT THE LAMINAR FLOW OF GASEOUS FLUID FROM SAID NOZZLE AND RETARD THE RATE OF FLUTTER OF A CARD SUSPENDED IN THE GASEOUS STREAM. 